


Two Weeks

by musikfurfreiheit



Category: Nightwish, Within Temptation (Band)
Genre: College AU, F/F, Sharja - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:41:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23278759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musikfurfreiheit/pseuds/musikfurfreiheit
Summary: ‘I bet the two of you will have kissed within two weeks, don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.’
Relationships: Sharon den Adel/Tarja Turunen
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

Sharon shot up as the teacher’s voice rang through the classroom. It took her a few seconds to realize she’d fallen asleep in class and she groaned as she lay down her head again. Her flatmates had kept her awake almost all night long with their Harry Potter marathon, resulting in her still being tired after already four hour of class. She followed her classmates out of the room as the class ended and she still wondered why she hadn’t skipped her classes.

Sharon looked up as a hand was placed on her shoulder and she smiled as she saw her flatmates. They looked just as tired as her and due to the alcohol they probably felt even worse. In complete silence the three of them walked towards the cafeteria and got their food, the first word only said as they sat down.

‘Oh-oh…’

‘What? Did you forget to take something to drink again?’ Sharon asked as she studied Floor’s plate.

‘No, Tarja is coming this way.’

‘So?’

‘What if we say something wrong?’

Charlotte rolled her eyes and Sharon smiled as she saw the redhead stuffing some food in Floor’s mouth to shut her up. None of them had ever really met Tarja, but still Floor was scared to talk to her. She was scared gay people used some sort of secret language, meaning she could accidentally offend her by speaking English. Charlotte had been annoyed by her way of thinking from the very beginning, but her reactions amused the brunette to no end. The smile on her lips disappeared however as someone tapped her shoulder and she looked at Tarja’s face as she turned around.

‘H-hey…’

‘Hi, you’re Sharon, right?’

‘How do you know my name?’

‘I asked one of your classmates.’ Tarja smiled. ‘Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to go watch that new movie that premiered yesterday. I saw you reading the book it’s based on so I thought…’

Sharon uneasily smiled at the other girl. They didn’t know each other and she wouldn’t mind if it was in a group, but she wasn’t sure about just the two of them.

‘Tarja, I’m sorry but… I’m not gay and-’

‘You don’t have to be gay to watch a movie together.’ Tarja interrupted her. ‘We can just go as friends, or soon to be friends or… You know, nevermind.’

Tarja turned around and Sharon immediately felt guilty. She was right, there was nothing wrong with watching a movie together. After all, that was exactly what she’d don with Floor and Charlotte last night.

‘Tarja, wait.’ Sharon said as she grabbed the girl’s wrist. ‘When do you want to go?’

‘Eh, are you free tomorrow?’ Tarja seemed surprised, but she still smiled as she turned around again.

‘Sure, I have class until 6, we can go at 8.’

‘Great, I’ll see you there.’

Sharon watched the other girl as she walked away before turning to her friends again. They looked at her in disbelieve and worriedly the brunette frowned.

‘What?’

‘Did you just agree on a date with Tarja?’ Floor almost whispered.

‘It’s not a date, just two people who are going to watch a movie together.’

‘Right…’

‘Come on, I did the same with you yesterday! And we even live together, we’re practically married.’

Floor looked at her for a second before returning her attention to her food. Sharon smiled and mentally added another point to her score of arguments she’d won, even though she was still convincing herself that it was not a date.

It wasn’t working.

By the time she left the flat to meet Tarja at the cinema she was still reminding herself that they were just friends. This wasn’t a date, Tarja wouldn’t try to kiss her, no one would be rejected, she didn’t had to impress anyone. And yet, the nerves were running through her body as she saw the other girl waiting in front of the cinema. They greeted each other with a smile before buying their tickets and snacks and deciding where they would sit. Sharon was glad Tarja didn’t want to sit in the back and she relaxed as they sunk down in their seats exactly in the middle of the hall. There hung a silence between the two girls and Sharon bit her lip as she opened her bag of chips, cursing it for making so much noise. The sounds continued as she put her hand in the bag before tasting the candy and realizing she’s bought the wrong one.

‘What’s with the face?’ Tarja asked.

‘I bought the wrong brand of chips, I don’t like this one…’

‘Do you want my popcorn?’

‘Are you sure…?’

‘Otherwise I wouldn’t suggest it.’ Tarja smiled before switching their snacks.

The smile Tarja gave her disappeared in the dark as the lights went out. The two girl turned their attention to the screen, but Sharon couldn’t help it to glance at Tarja every now and then. She wondered what went through her mind, if she also looked at her when Sharon was focused on the movie. It turned out she was.

Sharon’s eyes traveled to the other girl once again as the characters on the screen kissed each other for the first time and she met Tarja’s gaze. The smaller girl smiled at her before looking at the screen again while Sharon did her best to relax. She still expected Tarja to suddenly take her hand and her heart started beating faster as the other girl’s hand moved in her direction. Sharon held her breath as Tarja’s hand came closer before disappearing in the popcorn and moving back to the girl’s mouth. During the entire movie Sharon was more aware of the other girl’s movements and reactions than she watched the screen. She has seen every little smile, every piece of chips or candy that disappeared into her mouth and of course how she almost chocked on her coke.

Her mind was still with Tarja as Sharon closed the door of the apartment behind her. The two other girls turned around on the couch as they heard the sound, their eyes filled with suspicion.

‘So, how was your date?’

‘It was not a date.’

‘She walked you home.’ Floor pointed out. ‘Who paid for the tickets?’

‘We each bought our own.’

‘Candy?’

‘We paid ourselves, but we switched afterwards. I didn’t like my chips so I got her popcorn, but I still shared it with her.’

‘How was the movie?’ Charlotte suddenly asked.

‘Eh, I was okay…’

Sharon suddenly felt caught. She hadn’t seen much of the movie and in order to avoid further questions she faked a yawn and walked towards her room. Floor blocked her way, inspecting her as Sharon tried to avoid her eyes.

‘You watched her instead of the movie, didn’t you?’

Sharon didn’t answer her. She just walked around her flatmate, only looking up as Floor’s voice sounded right before she entered her room.

‘I bet the two of you will have kissed within two weeks, don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.’


	2. Chapter 2

It was wonderful how Sharon was able to filter out noises. Her eyes scanned the letters she was reading, her mind turned them into images and took her to this new world, a world where her school didn’t exist. Her book had completely sucked her up, but it only took Floor’s hand on her shoulder to pull her out of it. The courtroom around her disappeared as she looked up and saw her flatmates sitting down in front of her.

‘Where’s your food?’ Charlotte asked as Sharon put down her book.

‘I already ate. My teacher is ill so I’ve been sitting here for the last hour.’

‘Thinking about Tarja?’

Sharon’s eyes almost shot fire as she looked at Floor. She had been bringing up the girl’s name all weekend and by now it was more than annoying.

‘We just went to see a movie together, we haven’t spoken each other after that. Can you please stop it now?’

‘That you haven’t spoken doesn’t mean you can’t think of her.’ Floor pointed out. ‘And by the way she’s looking at you, she most definitely has thought about you.’

‘What do yo-’

‘Hey.’

Sharon looked up as Tarja’s voice sounded behind her. As if it was a reflex her lips formed a smile and her annoyance faded away.

‘Hey!’

‘Can I sit here?’ Tarja asked as she pointed at the chair next to Sharon’s. ‘My friend went home because the teacher of her next subject is ill anyway so I thought…’

‘Yeah, sure!’

Sharon could almost hear Floor’s grin as Tarja sat down next to her. Within a second her annoyance towards her flatmate had returned and she had to bite her tongue to not snap at her. The tall girl wasn’t really comfortable around queer people, she got that, but it still wasn’t a reason to be bitchy. Or maybe she was jealous?

‘What are you reading?’

Sharon almost flinched as Tarja lifted her finger that covered the title of the book. Her hand was warm and surprisingly soft and for the first time Sharon noticed the pink nail polish. For some reason it fitted the girl, even though she wasn’t the Barbie type at all. Her leather jacket matched her long black hair and dark make-up, her clothes were only a bit more colorful. Maybe it was her bright smile that made the pink nails suit her.

‘“The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest”, what is it about?’

‘Eh… A young woman, fighting for justice.’

‘Sounds interesting!’ Tarja smiled. ‘Can I borrow it when you’re done?’

‘Actually, it’s a trilogy. You should read the other books before you can read this one.’

‘Oh, right…’

It was only when the girl let go of her finger that Sharon noticed she’d been holding at all the time. She immediately missed the warmth of Tarja’s hand and she was sure she heard a hint of disappointment in her voice.

‘I also have the other books.’ Sharon smiled, maybe a bit too enthusiastic. ‘You can read those while I finish this one?’

‘Well, after Friday I trust your choice in books, they better be good.’

‘They are, promised! You can pick them up after school if you want?’

‘Deal. I have class until 4, I’ll…’

Tarja was interrupted as her phone buzzed. The smile on her face faded as she looked at the screen and was replaced with a deep frown. Her fingers moved quickly over the screen while she got up, almost tripping over her bag.

‘I’m sorry, I have to go. My mom wants me to call her.’

Sharon’s eyes followed the girl until she disappeared into the crowd. As suddenly as she had appeared she’d also disappeared again. A grin was on Floor’s face as Sharon turned around again, making the brunette’s smile vanish.

‘What?’

‘Two weeks.’ Her friend grinned before returning her attention to her food again.

‘I’m just giving her some books!’

‘Now a book, next week your virginity.’

‘I am not gay!’

Only a second after the words had left her mouth Sharon put her book away and got up. Without a single word she swung her bag around her shoulder and left, not sure yet where to go.


	3. Chapter 3

The apartment had been silent for several hours. After Tarja had texted her she wouldn’t be able to come over for the books, Sharon had locked herself in her room. She’d used the quiet hours to study but her focus vanished as she heard the door of the apartment. She sighed as she heard the whispers of her flatmates and closed her textbook before taking her other book from her bag and settling down with it on her bed. She was still mad Floor and she almost clenched her teeth as she heard the usual Floor-knock –one long knock, two short ones– on her door. The door opened before Sharon gave her permission to come in but that didn’t seem to stop the other girl. Even though Sharon didn’t look up, Floor walked into the room and carefully set down on the bed.

‘I’m sorry.’

Sharon didn’t react. She kept her eyes on her book, not actually reading what it said. Yes, she wanted Floor to apologize, but “I’m sorry” was not enough.

‘I might have gone too far. It’s not my business if you like Tarja or not. You pick your own friends and I should stay out of it, no matter if they’re gay or not.’

It was only now that Sharon looked up. She eyed her friend as she played the apology again in her head, smiling as she realized what was going on.

‘What was Charlotte going to do if you didn’t apologize?’

‘Tell Tarja I’m attracted to her.’

Sharon laughed as she shook her head, that sounded exactly like something Charlotte would do. She put her book down before hugging her friend, glad that a weight seemed to fall off her shoulders.

‘Am I officially forgiven?’

‘Yeah, you are.’

‘Good.’ Floor smiled as she pulled back. ‘Then are you willing to join us? According to Charlotte there’s a good movie on TV in half an hour.’

‘She’s making popcorn right now, isn’t she?’

‘She is.’

Floor smiled as she got up before offering Sharon her hand and pulling her on her feet. The apartment already smelled like melted butter and the scent got stronger as Sharon entered the kitchen. Charlotte was dancing to the song in her head and almost jumped as Sharon placed her hand on the redhead’s back.

‘Thanks for talking to her.’

‘That’s what friends do.’ Charlotte smiled.

‘What movie are we watching?’

‘Better Living Through Chemistry.’ The redhead grinned as she emptied the bag of corn in the machine. ‘With Sam Rockwell.’

Charlotte was right about the Sam Rockwell part, but there was not the smallest hint of chemistry. After only 15 minutes Sharon had lost her interest in the movie but the popcorn was too good to lock herself in her room again. She’d made a game of it to take some popcorn every time the word “I” was said, only to stop it when her stomach started protesting after a while. Her phone started vibrating in her pocket just on the moment she wanted to get up and she silently thanked the god for the distraction.

_It doesn’t matter how much they pay me, I’m never babysitting my cousin again! Now I’m watching a stupid movie instead of reading a good book._

Sharon smiled at Tarja’s text but immediately turned serious again as she remembered Floor and Charlotte were still there.

_Same here. Some movie about chemistry, but I don’t see it anywhere. The popcorn is good though._

_I’m watching the same movie! Only because Olivia Wilde is in it, she is so hot!_

Sharon looked up from her phone after she read the text. The actress on the screen was indeed a beautiful woman with her bright eyes, long blonde hair and a shining smile. She herself looked nothing like the actress at all. She knew this should comfort her, assure her that she wasn’t Tarja type and that she wouldn’t hit on her but for some reason it just didn’t. Her phone buzzed again as a new scene started, as if Tarja had waited for it.

_Omg, this guy is so ugly! Do straight girls actually like this?_

_Not all of us, but Charlotte loves him. Or, the actor at least, this character is so stupid!_

Every few minutes her phone would buzz when Tarja had found something else to point out about the movie. The comments varied from “I hate this movie” to “I think I saw her boob” and if Sharon was honest, it was saving her evening.


	4. Chapter 4

In the morning Sharon was met by a very unpleasant sound. The groans reached her as soon as she opened the door of her bedroom and she immediately knew something was seriously wrong. Sharon was the last one to leave on Tuesdays and the fact that Charlotte was still at home was not a good sign. She found the redhead in the bathroom, hugging the toilet as if her life depended on it. With a sigh she dropped her bag and kneeled down next to her friend, carefully stroking the fair from her face and being surprised by the warmth of her skin.

‘Damn Charlie, you’re hot!’

‘I thought you weren’t gay?’

‘I mean that you have a fever, idiot.’ Sharon rolled her eyes as she stood. ‘I’ll get you something.’

Her knees cracked as she got up from the floor and made the one step to the sink. With her left hand she filled a glass of water while she used the right one to find the right tablet. She handed Charlotte both items and carefully stroke the girl’s back as she swallowed the medicine.

‘Should I call a doctor?’

‘No, I just shouldn’t have eaten those sushi leftovers…’

‘Alright, but you can’t stay here.’ Sharon said as she wrapped her arms around her friend. ‘Come on, I’ll bring you back to bed.’

The journey to Charlotte’s bed almost took 5 entire minutes, but at the end of it the redhead lay tucked in in her bed. She’d already fallen asleep by the time Sharon closed her door again and picked up her bag to finally leave for school, 15 minutes later than planned.

Her books might not be heavy literature, they still felt heavy in her bag. The 1000 extra pages in her bag where torturing her back and a wide smile spread itself on her lips as she saw the person that would solve it. She fastened her pace as she walked towards the person that was looking at the list of absent teachers and tapped Tarja’s shoulder. The girl seemed tired as she turned around, but she cheered up as she saw Sharon.

‘Hey, I brought the books.’

‘Great! I’m looking forward to reading them.’

‘I also put one of my bookmarks in it.’ Sharon smiled as she handed Tarja the books. ‘I hate it when people fold the pages.’

‘Well, if it depends on me I won’t need it. If it’s anything better than yesterday’s movie I’ll finish it in one evening.’

Sharon felt how her heartbeat slightly increased as Tarja smiled at her. Little dimples appeared in her cheek and a giggle escaped right before her face turned serious again. Within a second every trace of happiness disappeared from the girl’s face as she stared at something behind Sharon. She wanted to turn around to see what had caught Tarja’s eye, but the other girl was faster. In a split second she stood on her toes and had her lips pressed against Sharon’s cheek. The kiss lasted less than a second but Sharon felt her cheek burning as the other girl pulled back. She stared at her in disbelieve, her heart was racing in her chest and for a moment she forgot every single existing word.

‘Wha- why…?’

‘I’m sorry.’ Tarja immediately apologized. ‘I saw a girl I went out with and… I’m sorry.’

‘No, it’s okay. Just… Don’t tell my friends this ever happened.’

With those words Sharon turned around and walked to her class, knowing she wouldn’t be able to focus. It felt like everyone stared at her, as if they knew what had happened. One time she’d even used her phone as a mirror to make sure there wasn’t any lipstick on her cheek, only to discover it was not the case. And yet, the feeling of being stared at stayed.

She was glad she only had a few classes on Tuesday. Her cheek was still burning by the time she was climbing the stairs of the apartment building she lived in. As silent as possible she opened the door so she wouldn’t wake Charlotte, only to find the redhead sitting on the couch watching The Lion King.

‘Hey, you look better.’ Sharon smiled as she sat down next to her friend and placed her hand on her forehead. ‘And your fever is gone, that’s great.’

‘Yeah, thanks to you.’

‘Do you mind if I keep you company?’

‘Not at all!’

Charlotte petted her lap and Sharon gladly accepted the invitation to use it as a pillow. She kicked off her shoes as she grabbed a blanket before lying down and slowly drifting off to sleep.

Sharon loved it when people played with her hair. It had a relaxing effect on her and a smile spread on her lips as she felt Tarja stroking her hair. Green eyes smiled down at her as she opened her own, the sparkle in them pushing a content sigh over her lips. Her hand went up to the other girl’s face, softly stroking the skin before Tarja leaned down and placed a feather light kiss on her lips.

‘Sharon, do you want anything?’

Slowly Sharon opened her eyes. She was confused as she stared at Charlotte’s face instead of Tarja’s until the music of The Lion King reached her ears and she realized she’d fallen asleep. It had just been a dream.

‘Sharon?’

‘Huh?’

‘Floor is cooking, are you hungry?’

‘No, I ate at school.’ Sharon mumbled as she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

She looked around the apartment, just to be sure Tarja wasn’t around, disappointed when she wasn’t. Maybe she did like Tarja more than she wanted to admit after all…


	5. Chapter 5

The last week had been a hell for Sharon. She needed space and time to think but Tarja seemed to be everywhere. Her text messages were on the brunette’s phone, telling her how much she loved the books. The girl was in the hallway at school, smiling at her every time they passed each other. Tarja was in her own book, she was reading the same series after all. But most of all, Tarja was sitting next to her on her bed, rambling about how much she loved the series’ main character.

Sharon had stopped listening minutes ago. Yes, it was a great character, but for some reason the girl in front of her was so much more interesting. Her room was filled with the scent of leather and something that could only be described as _Tarja._ Whenever she smiled Sharon smiled too, only because the small giggle that escaped every time made little butterflies tickle the inside of her stomach. This was killing her.

‘Earth to Sharon?’

‘Huh?’

‘Wow, you were lost in thoughts!’ Tarja laughed. ‘Lisbeth isn’t dead, right?’

‘I’m not going to spoil, you have to read the book.’

‘Oh come on, there’s another 600-pages book, she can’t be dead! How much longer do you think you’ll need to finish the book?’

‘Eh, I don’t know. Two or three weeks maybe?’

Apparently that was not the answer Tarja had expected. The sip of coke she’d wanted to take ended up on her hoodie while Tarja gasped for air. Sharon was to shocked to react, but luckily Tarja recovered quickly.

‘Two or three _weeks_?! Do you read a sentence per minute or what?’

‘No, I just don’t have a lot of time to read.’ Sharon mumbled as she eyed Tarja’s hoodie. ‘I can wash it for you if you want?’

‘Oh really? That would be great! This is one of my favorites.’

Sharon immediately regretted her proposal. Tarja wasn’t wearing a t-shirt underneath her hoodie so when she pulled it over her head, hell and heaven seemed to melt together. Toned skin was revealed, a nice stomach with a cute belly button in the middle. Her bra was black and gothic styled, only revealing a bit of what was inside of them. There she was, the girl Sharon had been dreaming about for a week, just sitting topless on her bed and still she didn’t allow herself to look. With a blush on her cheeks she stood as Tarja handed her the hoodie and almost ran out of her room. She prayed her roommates wouldn’t suddenly appear and see her with Tarja’s shirt, but couldn’t help it to secretly inhale the sweet scent it held before tossing it in the washing machine.

Sharon mentally prepared herself on her way back to her room, but still her heart almost stopped beating as she saw Tarja’s almost naked back again. She immediately noticed the goosebumps that covered the toned skin and opened her closet, glad that she had an excuse to look away.

‘Your hoodie won’t be dry by the time you have to leave so you can borrow this one.’ She said as she handed Tarja one of her own hoodies.

Sharon couldn’t keep her eyes off the girl’s body as her stomach disappeared under the Tori Amos hoodie. Just as she had expected because of their small height difference the hoodie turned out to be slightly too big, which only made Tarja more adorable. Sharon’s body didn’t feel as her own anymore. She felt an uncontrollable urge to smile, her fingers were tingling, her mind was blank except for the girl that was sitting in front of her, wearing her hoodie. Her mouth was dry, her heart beating insanely loud, her…

‘Sharon, I’m home!’

… her flatmate saved her.

‘I should go.’ Tarja said as she stood from the bed. ‘Thanks for the hoodie.’

Sharon didn’t answer her. She just smiled and followed Tarja to the front door, afraid to make a single sound. It was only when the door fell shut that she dared to breathe again and finally looked at her flatmate.

‘Was she wearing your Tori Amos hoodie?’

‘Yeah, she was.’ Sharon mumbled as she sat down next to Charlotte. ‘Can I talk to you?’

‘Always! Tell auntie Charlotte what’s going on.’

‘Well, I… I think that I, eh…’

‘Like Tarja?’

‘Yeah…’ Sharon sighed. ‘Does that mean I’m gay?’

‘Of course not! You could be gay, bisexual, pansexual… Tarjasexual…’

‘Charlotte, I’m serious!’

‘So am I.’ Charlotte smiled. ‘You don’t need to label yourself. You like a girl, so what? Did you tell her?’

‘I can’t. What if she likes me back and wants to kiss me? I can’t let Floor win this stupid bet.’

‘Then, my friend, you’ll have to control yourself for a few more days.’

With those words Charlotte stood to grab the remote and turned on the TV which ended their conversation. In Sharon’s head however, it went on. A dialogue between brain and heart that would go on for a few more days.


	6. Chapter 6

The clock across the room kept ticking as Sharon stood in the doorway of the study hall. Tarja sat at one of the tables on the other side of the hall, not noticing the pair of eyes that had been studying her for the last few minutes. Sharon could almost smell the leather, just the idea of it already woke the by now known feeling in her stomach and had frozen every muscle in her body. She just wanted to look her, admire her from a distance, but the weight on her back reminded her she’d come here for a reason.

Only when one of the other students packed his things and wanted to leave the room did Sharon move the free the doorway for him. Taking it as a sign she took one deep breath and finally crossed the hall, sitting down at the same table as Tarja. The other girl didn’t seem to notice her and suddenly Sharon wasn’t sure if she should disturb Tarja or not.

‘H-’

‘Just a second.’ Tarja interrupted her without looking up.

Sharon watched how the girls handwriting got smaller towards the end of the page and how she bit her lip in her concentration. Her last sentence ended right before she reached the end of the paper and with a smile she added the point to end the text before looking up.

‘Hey!’

‘I finished the third book.’ Sharon smiled, mentally slapping herself for the starting the conversation that way.

‘Oh, great! I can’t wait to read it!’

Sharon only smiled as she took the book from her bag and placed it on the table. She bit her lip as she looked at the cover of the book between her fingers, collecting all her courage before looking up at Tarja.

‘Actually, there’s also something I wanted to ask you.’

‘Tell me.’

The words that were waiting on Sharon’s tongue disappeared as Tarja covered Sharon’s hand with her own. Once again Sharon was surprised by the warmth and softness, even though she knew she was probably just imagining it. Softly Tarja stroke her hand with her thumb, the gesture blocking every word that attempted to leave Sharon’s mouth. She tore her eyes off their hands and looked up. The English language slowly came back to her, as if they were written in Tarja’s smile. Oh how badly she wanted to read it with her own lips…

‘Charlotte… She’s doing a movie marathon tonight, Lord Of The Rings. Do you want to join us?’

‘Sure.’ Tarja smiled. ‘I enjoy spending time with you.’

Something in her smile changed. This wasn’t just a friendly smile anymore, the sparkle in her eyes wasn’t just enthusiasm anymore. Sharon pulled back her hand as she saw how Tarja slowly leaned closer towards her, her eyes set on Sharon’s lips.

‘I’ll see you this evening!’

The words sounded fake as she got up and swung her bag on her back again. Without looking back she left the study hall and let out a relieved sigh as she turned around the corner.

This was going to be a very long day, a day in which she discovered that everything was related to Tarja.

The T that was engraved into one of the wooden desks, that was the T of Tarja. The teacher was drinking tea when she entered the classroom, Tarja liked tea. The girl sitting in front of her was wearing a leather jacket, one that was quite similar to Tarja’s. Even when Sharon entered her bedroom she was convinced that she was still able to smell the girl’s scent until the one of Charlotte’s popcorn overpowered it. The smell almost seemed to attack her as Sharon opened the door of her bedroom, just like the pillow that hit her leg.

‘Are you going to help me with the pillow fort or are you just going to stand there?’

From then everything was a routine. Even before the three friends decided to live together for college they had found the most comfortable way to build a pillow fort. While Floor arranged the pillows, Sharon took care of the blankets and Charlotte made the food. It had always been like that and the old habit made Sharon forget about the girl that seemed to be living in her mind. Or, at least until a knock on the door sounded. Sharon’s heart was beating loudly in her chest, her hands shaking as she opened the door and returned the smile that greeted her.

‘I’m not too late, am I?’

‘No, you’re right on time.’ Sharon answered as she closed the door again. ‘The pillow fort is ready and it looks like Charlotte is done with the popcorn. Take a seat, I’ll be there in a second.’

She almost ran towards the switch and turned off the lights before sitting down next to Tarja. She was surprised to see the girls next to her were all holding a bowl with popcorn and she frowned when there was no trace of a fourth one.

‘Where’s my popcorn?’

‘Tarja is your guest.’ Charlotte answered while looking for the right settings on the DVD. ‘You share your food.’

Sharon rolled her eyes but her annoyance was replaced with nervousness once again as a piece of popcorn appeared in front of her face. Tarja looked at her with a smile, waiting for her to take the piece of candy and looking disappointed when she didn’t. Sharon just grabbed a handful from Tarja’s bowl and turned her attention to the movie, trying to ignore Tarja as much as possible.

Luckily she was more interested in this movie than in the previous one Charlotte had chosen. Sharon succeeded in keeping her eyes and attention on the screen instead of the girl next to her, until she wanted to take her fifth hand of popcorn. Instead of popcorn she grabbed a warm hand and the blood rushed to her cheeks as she quickly pulled back her hand from the bowl. She mumbled an apology without taking her eyes off the screen, determined not to look up for Tarja’s reaction.

Even though she didn’t dare to take any popcorn anymore, the bowl was empty halfway through the second movie. In the corner of her eye Sharon saw how Tarja placed the empty bowl on the ground and took a more comfortable position. Sharon’s heart immediately beat faster as Tarja’s knee ended up touching hers and she was sure her jeans would be on fire within a few minutes.

It only took a few minutes before Sharon’s eyes travelled to the clock on the wall. It was almost midnight, there were just a few more minutes left until the torture would be over. With the glance at the clock Tarja had settled herself in Sharon’s mind again, keeping her from focusing on the movie. Her eyes kept wandering from the clock to the girl to the movie and back to the clock. It seemed like the clock was moving in slow motion, the seconds lasted longer than they usually did, but once all the hands hand passed the 12 Sharon’s own hands were unable to stay still.

While one hand supported her body as she pushed herself up, the other cupped Tarja’s face. She pressed her lips on Tarja’s before she got the chance to change her mind, every nerve in her body suddenly more than awake. Her lips where so soft and the _Tarja_ -scent was stronger than ever, but every muscle in the girl’s body seemed frozen. Slowly Sharon pulled back, afraid that she’d just made a terrible mistake. She felt everyone’s eyes on her, the movie played on like nothing had happened but the time seemed to stand still until Tarja spoke.

‘I thought you weren’t into girls?’

‘I’m into you…’

The fear left Sharon’s body as Tarja smiled and cupped her face. She would swear she’d never been happier than in the moment Tarja pulled her closer and kissed her, love written all over their lips. She wasn’t sure if the beating she heard was her own heart or Tarja’s but it had to be louder than the movie that was still playing.

‘I told you, two weeks.’

‘Actually,’ Sharon smiled as she pulled back. ‘it’s past midnight, the two weeks are over.’

Before Floor had the chance to react, Sharon and Tarja’s lips had found each other again. Sharon felt light-headed and Tarja’s lips tasted better than any wine she’d ever had. Her lungs almost hurt as they parted for air, but it gave Floor’s voice the chance to finally reach the two girls.

‘I give it two weeks before they have sex.’


End file.
